The City of Cincinnati will honor the observance of Juneteenth on Friday, June 17 at 1:00 p.m. on the City Hall Plaza with the third annual raising of the Juneteenth flag.  The City’s ceremony will feature dance and musical performances, several speakers and the official raising of a Juneteenth Flag.

Attended by:
Mayor Aftab Pureval,
Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney
Councilmember Greg Landsman
John P. Curp, Interim City Manager
Cincinnati City Council, and Invited Guests:

Lydia Morgan, Chair of Juneteenth Cincinnati
Pastor Ennis Tate
Nicole Taylor, Vice President, NAACP
Jerome Bowles, President, NAACP Northern Kentucky
Alandes Powell, Black Art Speaks
Woodrow Keown, Jr., National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Iris Roley, Black United Front & City Consultant/Collaborative Agreement

History of the Event:

On June 19, 1865, almost two and half years after the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed of their liberation. At the time, Texas was the final former Confederate State where slavery was abolished, following the end of the American Civil War in April of that year. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States and became an official federal holiday on June 17, 2021.